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Fans attending the Texas Rangers’ home-opening series against the Cincinnati Reds in early April will get their first look at the newly installed permanent fixture in left field.
Billed as a tribute to the MLB franchise’s namesake, the Rangers unveiled the “One Riot, One Ranger” statue along the left field concourse at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Monday.
In 2020, the statue was removed from Dallas Love Field amid heightened racial tensions and the group’s complicated history tied to race relations.
The book “Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers” examined parts of the police unit’s past. Its publication coincided with nationwide scrutiny of some police practices following the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota.
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Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, May 30, 2025, during a game between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals. (Tim Heitman/Image Images)
In an Associated Press story about six years ago, around the time the statue was removed from the airport, “Cult of Glory” identified the figure as Captain Jay Banks. The book claims that, in 1957, Banks led a group of Rangers who are believed to have prevented black students from enrolling in a local high school and community college.
In the article, “Cult of Glory” author Doug Swanson said, “There is a famous photo of him leaning against a tree in front of Mansfield High School while a black figure hangs in effigy over the school, and Banks makes no effort to remove it.
“And Banks sided with the mobs that were there to keep black kids out. So he was the face of that.”
The Texas Rangers take batting practice before facing the San Francisco Giants at Globe Life Field on June 8, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Russell Molina, a member of the Texas Ranger Association Foundation board of directors, acknowledged the Rangers’ controversial past but said those who lived “up to the ideal” deserve recognition and argued that the statue was not intended solely to represent Banks.
“We recognize that the history of the Texas Rangers, like that of our state and nation, includes moments that must be faced honestly,” Molina said. “While not all who have served for more than two centuries lived up to the ideal, most did and deserve to be remembered for their service, sacrifice and commitment to the people of Texas.”
Globe Life Field, the new home of the Texas Rangers, March 26, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (Ronald Martínez/Getty Images)
Swanson told The Dallas Morning News that he hoped the statue’s latest placement would include more context about the organization’s complex past.
Pak Gazette Digital reached out to the baseball franchise’s media relations department but did not immediately receive a response.
According to Globe Life Field’s official website, “While the ‘One Riot, One Ranger’ statue commemorates the legend surrounding the agency’s involvement in stopping an unauthorized prize fight in Dallas in 1896, it is also a tribute to all who have served the organization throughout its storied history.”
Statues of former MLB stars Iván Rodríguez, Adrián Beltré and Nolan Ryan also stand in the Rangers’ retractable-roof stadium.
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